During the offseason, the Los Angeles Lakers decided it was worth bringing Rui Hachimura back after his strong end to the 2023-24 season.
Hachimura emerged as one of the Lakers’ best players in the 2023 NBA Playoffs and he was rewarded with a three-year, $51 million deal. The front office was intent on keeping continuity on the roster and re-signing Hachimura was a no-brainer.
With Hachimura back in the fold, LeBron James allowed the forward to work out with him during the offseason. That’s not something that happens often, so naturally Hachimura is very appreciative of his teammates. How much longer they will be teammates remains to be seen though with James’ future up in the air, which Hachimura was asked about after the Lakers’ season came to an end.
“That’s a tough question,” Hachimura said. “I don’t know. I never thought about that. Last year, like you said, I spent a lot of time with him. Worked out with him, especially with him, I feel like he doesn’t work out with other people.
“I was really appreciative of the time and the energy he spent with me. I learned a lot of stuff, and I think I was able to do that this season. I kind of watched him closely and worked out with him, and it made me more confident. Just the whole season, throughout the season, me and his chemistry got much better than last year. I see his basketball IQ and all that, so yeah, it’s an honor to be around with him and his journey and playing with him.”
Hachimura obviously cherished the experience to work with James and the Japan native certainly seemed to pick up a few things during their time together. For example, Hachimura showed a better knack for cutting at opportune times for dunks and even displayed more playmaking ability when putting the basketball on the deck.
With how hard James trains, people like his agent Rich Paul believe he could play for another five years though he’d surely retire before then. Regardless, Hachimura should continue to spend as much time learning from James because he can become a better player for it.
Hachimura wasn’t the only person playing with confidence throughout the year. D’Angelo Russell may have had an uneven start to the regular season but quickly threw all caution to the wind and began playing under his own terms.
Russell went on to turn in the best shooting season of his career and believes he had a hell of a year for the Lakers.